"We felt that he was an immediate risk to public safety," Louisiana Fire Marshal Butch Browning said when testifying in court, according to The Associated Press. "In my mind, I felt another fire was imminent."

In addition to charges of arson, Matthews also faces three state hate crime charges, which were added by the district attorney.

At a news conference Thursday morning, Louisiana State Fire Marshal H. “Butch” Browning Jr. said 21-year-old Holden Matthews had been arrested. He was booked into the St. Landry Parish Jail and charged with three counts of simple arson on religious buildings. Each charge has a maximum sentence of 15 years. The three fires are related and were intentionally set, Browning said.

Federal authorities are vetting whether hate was a motive of Holden Matthews, who is white.

KATC reported that Holden Matthews is the son of Roy Matthews, a St. Landry Parish deputy. St. Landry Parish Sheriff Bobby Guidroz told KATC that Roy Matthews father did not turn his son in, despite earlier reports. Guidroz said the father was "shocked and hurt when we told him."

"A suspect has been identified in connection with the three church burnings in Opelousas, Louisiana, and is in state custody," Joseph said in a statement Wednesday. "The U.S. Attorney's Office, ATF, and FBI are working with state and local law enforcement and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the victims and those St. Landry Parish residents affected by these despicable acts. A special thanks to St. Landry Parish Sheriff Bobby Guidroz, Louisiana State Fire Marshal, H. 'Butch' Browning Jr., Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry's Cybercrime Unit, the Louisiana State Police, and the Florida State Fire Marshal for working seamlessly with federal law enforcement agents in this investigation."

On March 26, a fire was started at St. Mary Baptist Church in Port Barre, Louisiana. On April 2, there was a fire at Greater Union Baptist Church followed by one at Mount Pleasant Baptist Church on April 4. Each church is more than 100 years old.

In this April 4, 2019 file photo, firefighters and fire investigators respond to a fire at Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church, in Opelousas, La.